Another day, and another press release, this time, from Nintendo, the underdog gone top dog. Included are, just as with the Microsoft press release article, core announcements and my thoughts on them.

• Two new peripherals were revealed: the Wii Zapper, and the Wii Steering Wheel. The Wii Zapper is basically a light gun hybrid, taking both the Wiimote and Nunchuck addon, and giving them a cradle with a stock and a more firearm like trigger, and the steering wheel is basically a wheel which accepts a Wiimote to become a new way to control racing games (I don’t know if I would consider this second idea very unique as a similar peripheral was introduced by a third party at console launch). The good news about these peripherals is that they are included with the games intended for their use, so we do not have to worry about purchasing another unsupported peripheral (I’m looking at you Super Scope!). The Zapper was showcased with Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, and the steering wheel with Mario Kart Wii.

• Super Mario Galaxy has been dated with a November release, and is looking very good. Great graphics, and fluid animation married to interesting gameplay means I’m happy. I am not personally a huge fan of Super Mario 64 with its few number of levels with too many goals. I prefer a more traditional Mario title with a point A to point B goal. Anyways, this looks to be a fantastic title.
• Super Smash Brothers Brawl has been dates a December 3rd release. Great news and just in time for the holidays. This is bound to be one of the most complete holidays yet. This title was not playable at E3.
• Metroid Prime 3 was shown with its tightened controls, and is looking great. Excellent graphics and gameplay. This is a for sure winner finally showcasing the possibilities of the FPS using the Wii controls.
• Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass was also shown with its stylus only controls. They claim this will offer a natural and intuitive experience for veterans and new gamers alike, but I remain skeptical. On the other hand it is Nintendo, and it is Zelda, so they can’t really mess this up. A for sure buy.
• Reggie laughably claims Nintendo is already serious about online gaming.
• Mario Kart Wii was announced for a 2009 release including full online play. They claim this will be the first Mario Kart title which will allow both new and veteran players to be competitive with one another.
• Brain Age 2 was showcase, and looks to be a handy little sequel to the incredibly popular title.
• A new Wii Channel was shown named Check Mii out where players can upload, vote on, and download each other’s Mii creations. Contests are in the works where players will be asked to create Mii characters with certain themes.
• The last, and largest announcement was Wii Fitness. More of an application than a game, this will take your BMI (body mass index) and run you through daily routines such as yoga, balancing exercises, pushups, step aerobics, and more. The goal is to provide a fun way to exercise. This will use a scale like controller which the player will stand upon while playing. This will be used to determine balance and to act as a scale. Fitness progress is recorded and displayed upon request. This is more of the plan to include non gamers in the Wii fun.

Look for a Sony Conference Article Soon!